


Blood Maledict

by Bowser_Sourpuss_Bread



Series: Tales From The Garreg Mach School of Peace: My Three Houses Modern AU [3]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: #freeEdelgard, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Disabled Character, Developing Friendships, Diabetes, Diabetic Edelgard, Disability, Disabled Character, Gen, Hubert is a closeted good., I'd rather err on the safe side., It seems like there isn't a lot of content about diabetic characters???, Mature for Edelgard's backstory., Non-Binary Hubert, Raphael tries to help but...., Rat videos, So allow me to help alleviate that issue!, Tear this disability representation from my Glenn-cold body.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:55:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22666615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bowser_Sourpuss_Bread/pseuds/Bowser_Sourpuss_Bread
Summary: A misunderstanding in the bathroom leads to an unlikely friendship.... Eventually.
Series: Tales From The Garreg Mach School of Peace: My Three Houses Modern AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1629751
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	Blood Maledict

**Author's Note:**

> So the first thing you're going to ask is: Why diabetes? There are many conditions I could have chosen from to represent Edelgard as a disabled character (and it is important to remember that she is canonically disabled). However, I chose diabetes for the same reason you're probably asking this question.
> 
> Diabetes is a condition with terrible stigma, tied to sloth and an "obesity epidemic" (which is real but often in our dialogue about it, we put the onus to change on people who are symptomatic of larger societal problems, like food deserts, our treatment of mental health, etc.). Likewise, Edelgard's two Crests are seen as an abomination to the will of the Goddess. Crests aren't a thing in this modern AU, but stigma, unfortunately, is. Additionally, diabetes is a condition that, if well-managed, can be hidden. (In contrast to another canonically disabled character under similar circumstances as Edelgard but with a more noticeable condition, Lysithea.)
> 
> Speaking of things that aren't a thing in this modern AU, I cut out the slithery bois. A) I don't like them. B) They complicate the character-driven conflicts of Three Houses, which are the ones I want to explore in this AU. That being said, Edelgard is also canonically a character with trauma. In this AU, she was sexually abused by clergy (which Arundel is a part of). In this fic, this is only referenced to, but take care of yourselves. Whatever feels like the right decision is the right decision.

Edelgard blinks wearily. She looks up at the clock. Yes, it’s right before lunch, but… She struggles to focus on what the professor is saying. She’s quite sure she knows what’s going on, but it’s in good habit to check. She makes eye contact with Hubert in their corner before heading out to the bathroom.

The closest bathroom is a gender-neutral bathroom. She smiles as she passes the sign the GSRM Club made. The school has promised to make proper signage for next year, but the fact that the professors pooled to get them food for a “gender-neutral bathroom sign party” that they weren’t even sure was going to come into fruition until people were in the room shows her that they truly are trying their best.

Edelgard slides into the nearest stall and sinks onto the toilet seat. She takes out her symptom notebook and catalogs what she is feeling right now: fatigue, blurry vision, and yes, now that she isn’t trying to listen to the lecture, she can see her shakiness. If she is correct, then her blood sugar is low. It shouldn’t be  _ too _ low, but she always keeps snacks in her purse just in case.

She pricks her finger and logs the number. Her prediction was correct, but she thinks she should eat something before returning to class. She’ll calibrate her lunch to-

“Hey! Is that a snack for Hubert?”

Edelgard nearly drops  _ her _ snack onto the bathroom floor. She is about to scold Raphael, but she realizes that she left the stall door open, so this is her fault. Yes, she really should eat, if she made a mistake like  _ that _ … She takes a bite.

And now that the problem is starting to be addressed, she can address this… thing. “No, it is my snack.”

“Not the string cheese, silly! The blood!”

She nearly chokes. At first because she thinks that she may still be bleeding. But no, the injection site has already calmed down.  _ If it were a snack, it would be a pitiable one. _ Then, she realizes the insinuation and  _ does _ choke.

Luckily, Raphael took the first-aid class, and she had only taken a bite of her string cheese. She coughs, and it comes out, and Raphael is helping her stand. “It’s almost lunch time anyway. Let’s go to the infirmary, yeah?”

Well, if it were just the choking, she’s  _ fine _ now, but she supposes it wouldn’t be the worst time to check in with Professor Manuela about her insulin plan, since she’s had to take more time out of class to adjust her levels than she’d like.

* * *

By lunchtime, the main takeaway Edelgard has gotten from the experience is to remember to text Hubert, or at least get someone else to.

She returns to the dining hall alone. Professor Manuela had teased her about her “gallant knight,” but when she had explained her thought process, the school nurse had agreed to her request for privacy. Professor Manuela had told her that Raphael had apologized profusely and sworn to do  _ something _ to make it up to her, and when she had explained the choking story, they had shared a laugh over it.

She is decidedly  _ not _ laughing at Hubert’s antics. Really, they should know better! She marches up to the central table where the professors -their  _ teachers _ \- are dining and calls up to her retainer, who is standing on top of it like a  _ fool _ , demanding that  _ everyone _ stop what they’re doing to search for  _ her _ , lest they be labelled “enemies of the state.”

“Hubert! I am fine! Get down from there this  _ instant _ !”

Despite herself, she can not help but respect how quickly they turn back into the quiet, intimidating but thoughtful individual she cherishes so, giving her a lunch they had picked out for her based on her symptoms and the probability that she had gotten a snack during her blood glucose check. It was still warm because they had only just arrived at the dining hall, having ran into the bathroom as soon as class got out, scouring the building for her.

_ They really were worried. _ She sighs, reassuring her friend that she is not angry at them… but not failing to reiterate that making such a scene in the dining hall is unacceptable. “Next time, if you fear that something has happened to me, please, just ask the professors. Haven’t they proven that they want to help us?”

Their expression darkens. “I still have difficulty trusting this organization.”

And she can’t help but nod at that. Neither of them exactly  _ like _ how big a part the Church of Seiros is at their school. And she knows what they mean. At this point, they want to trust the people, -the staff, the professors- but there’s so much more than just the people involved.

She knows that Hubert is in a distrusting mood and, thus, they won’t share her and Professor Manuela’s amusement about Raphael.

* * *

And by the next morning, Edelgard isn’t amused either. There is blood caked into the best couch in the Black Eagles common room. Linhardt is covered in it, and Caspar has thrown himself on top of it and is sobbing, confessing what everyone already knows.

“Dorothea, what happened?”

“I’d say to prepare yourself, but I don’t think anything can ever  _ really _ shock you anymore.”

Caspar wails about how he was always overlooked because he is the younger brother. Dorothea sighs, then turns to Linhardt. “Work with him through this, will you?”

Linhardt balks. “Work!?”

“Work with your boyfriend, or work on cleaning the couch.”

Edelgard’s nose crinkles. “Or work getting a new couch,” she corrects, using her “princess” voice. She hates doing it, but she  _ refuses _ to let such a sanitation violation happen on her watch. Even if it, by some miracle, passes whatever “this actually  _ isn’t _ gross” test there is, it won’t pass it in her mind.

“Oh, Edie!” the singer exclaims. “Obviously, it wouldn’t  _ just _ be Linhardt working on it-”

And she knows that, with her background, Dorothea has a much harder time with getting new things. She always feels like it’s a waste, like she needs to keep saving her money because she doesn’t really believe that she’s been lifted from poverty. And Edelgard understands that. In some way, anyway. She still doesn’t really believe that she’s not her uncle’s…

She understands.

She pats her friend reassuringly. “Don’t worry. I’ll pay for a new couch.” Or if the school bureaucracy prevents her from doing so, she’ll figure out from Claude how to address that. By going around it. The house leader monthly meeting is soon.

“Well? You heard her, Lin!”

Linhardt crosses his arms. “I’m not walking all the way into town to go couch-shopping. I’m walking with Caspar to the infirmary. I hope this blood isn’t contaminated with anything…”

Oh. Ah. Yes. That. That would be bad. Edelgard hopes that she isn’t turning sheet-white like she thinks she is. She wishes Hubert were here. Perhaps that’s irrational because Hubert  _ doesn’t _ have some kind of blood magic, despite the rumors she’s heard swirling around campus. But they understand.

“Edie?” She blinks. Linhardt and Caspar are gone, but Dorothea isn’t. And Petra is here. When did Petra get here?

“The story,” she prompts.

“Oh, yes! Actually, this is important to that. Petra, what did Raphael say?”

“Ferdinand is talking of him still, but Raphael sayed the blood was not for the couch but for Hubert.”

“Hubert!?” Dorothea exclaims. “What in the world does he mean by  _ that _ !?”

“I do not be knowing!”

Hubert. Blood. Raphael. Edelgard is putting the pieces of the puzzle together, and she does not like the picture.

Dorothea fills a bit more of it in. Early in the morning, Raphael had come into the Black Eagle common room. He would have needed a key, but since he’s from the  _ Golden Deer _ , there are plenty of people who could have picked the lock for him. Or in Claude’s case, got him through a window. This was not concerning. What was concerning was that he had a blood bag. He put it on the couch. Linhardt was sleeping over the top of the couch. It was a precarious position. You know the rest.

It doesn’t change the picture.

Except… “You were awake that early?”

“Goodness no!” Dorothea’s eyes narrow. “Although Caspar’s screaming woke all of us up.”

“But someone was awake to actually  _ witness _ all of this.” It’s a statement, not a question, because Edelgard trusts Dorothea. If it were someone like Caspar telling this story, then she would be more suspicious.

“Bernadetta,” Petra pipes up. “Bernadetta was waking. Bernadetta seed.”

Edelgard does a quick sweep of the room. She does not see Bernadetta. “Where is Bernadetta now?”

“In her room. She do not like blood,” Petra says sadly.

“Do you think she’d be up for us checking on her?” The young women go in to check on her friend.

* * *

It’s about an hour after the blood-couch debacle when Hubert returns from their shopping trip. They not only personally prefer to go out when there are few people in town, but they understand that there remains a stigma around young people accessing medication. Never mind  _ royal _ young people.

“Something has gone terribly wrong, Hubert.”

She jolts as something is dropped onto her stomach. The princess sits up. It’s her favorite snack from the town of Garreg Mach: sugar-free gummy cats. She feels her mattress sag as her friend sits next to her. “Tell me about it.”

She explains the situation. “Linhardt is an idiot,” they conclude. “And this misconception can not be allowed to continue.”

“I know! What do people think you are, a vampire?” They push their sunglasses up their nose sedately. It’s a subtle thing, but Edelgard knows Hubert, and she knows what they’re saying. “No, they do  _ not _ have a point! Just because you have light sensitivity does not mean that you are a monster!”

“Just because you have diabetes does not mean that you are a monster.”

And only Edelgard’s own words can wound her so. She blushes and pointedly looks away. And, no, she’s not eating her gummy cats in her bed. That would be unbecoming!

A smile as slight as Hubert’s requires a trained eye, but Edelgard’s have been honed. It disappears quickly, though, as they stand up. “I will speak to Professor Manuela. Hopefully, by now, she will be awake to realize that one of her blood bags has been stolen.” It is a Saturday, so Edelgard isn’t sure, but she knows that Hubert will wake her up somehow. Her friend waves their phone. It’s a homebrew thing, made to keep cybercrime out of it while sneaking past security itself. “Text me.”

She shows off her finger prick. She just checked!

They smile again as they leave.

* * *

The students of Garreg Mach School for Peace are assembled on Monday afternoon. Professor Manuela goes to the front of the auditorium with a presentation about diabetes. Edelgard and Hubert sit in the back, overlooking the crowd. Professor Manuela told them that they did not have to come, since the information was A) not anything they didn’t already know and B) assembled with their help. But the duo decide to stay to gauge their classmates’ reactions.

Edelgard smiles as she sees some notebooks being taken out. She wishes Ignatz were not doodling such… images of the goddess, but she’s sitting close enough to see that they are genuinely good notes, and that’s good because Raphael is sitting next to him, and he isn’t even looking at the presentation. Edelgard feels anger flare in her chest. They’re doing all this for  _ him _ , and he isn’t even paying attention! As she feels Hubert’s gaze turn to a glare, though, she swallows and evaluates the emotion. Raphael is not ignorant out of choice. Having the benefit of emotional distance, he genuinely did save her from choking. It’s not his fault that he was never taught about such conditions, or that he was only taught about them in the context of older people or in the context of death. And while it’s true that there are probably many in the audience who also needed to know this information, she realizes that this isn’t  _ for him _ . Raphael doesn’t learn from presentations at the front of the room.

So that’s the first step to a solution: identifying the problem. But Edelgard doesn’t know how to broach the subject with Raphael. She doesn’t want him to treat her like she needs constant supervision, but it’s also true that sometimes emergencies happen. And it’s also true that if something happens, it isn’t his responsibility? But in a way it is!?

Ugh. She needs more gummy cats.

* * *

Wednesday night is the house leaders meeting. Edelgard arrives first, as usual, but to her excitement, Dimitri comes in next. “Dimitri!” she exclaims. “How are you?”

“I’ve had a good day.” And she can tell. He’s smiling. It’s a shy smile, but it’s big anyway. “Felicity did something really cute today. Do you want to see?”

Actually, she doesn’t. Rats are gross. But she wants to keep seeing Dimitri so content, so she scoots next to him and watches a video of a rat jumping through a hoop. She never sees it blink. Creepy. “Which one is this?”

“Felicity. I know the lighting isn’t great, so it looks like it could be Hope, but it’s Felicity.” Ah, yes. Felicity. The black rat.

She looks up at the clock. It’s 15 minutes before the meeting’s scheduled start time, so they will be waiting for at least 45 minutes.

They wait for exactly 45 minutes. “Fashionably late, Claude?” She hopes it comes out as the joke it was meant to, not biting, but 45 minutes of rat videos was… difficult.

“Sorry! I was playing video games with Hilda and lost track of time! Ya weren’t watching rat videos for too long, were ya?”

“No, not at all,” Dimitri answers. Edelgard gives Claude a significant look.

Claude understands. “Gotcha! So… How was the month for your houses?”

“It was an uneventful month for the Blue Lions.”

“I wish I could say the same for the Black Eagles.”

“Yeah… The blood bag thing…”

“The  _ what _ !?” Dimitri yelps.

Edelgard and Claude look at each other. They calmly explain the situation to the prince together. Between the two of them, the blonde settles down. “Why would Raphael put a blood bag in the Black Eagles common room?” he asks.

“He got confused about diabetes,” Claude sighs. “Listen, I don’t know who they think they’re fooling, but this school isn’t subtle. Raphael clearly caught someone checking their blood sugar level and thought… I don’t know? That they needed more blood? Probably someone in the Black Eagles, considering he put the blood bag in the Black Eagles common room, but…”

Wait. “Claude, you didn’t help him break in?”

The young man mock-gasps. “Edelgard! How could you accuse me of such behavior!?”

Dimitri’s blue eye flits between them. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“Diabetes is a condition that requires that the person draw blood regularly.”

“I know that part,” Dimitri says. “What I don’t understand how Raphael putting a blood bag in the Black Eagles common room is automatically because of diabetes.”

Claude gives her a significant look. Edelgard makes up a gentle lie. “Claude and I did some investigating into this.” It’s not a  _ bad _ lie. They  _ did _ investigate. Just by themselves.

“Oh. Well, I trust your information. You are both very smart.”

Claude affectionately ruffles Dimitri’s hair. As for Edelgard, she just pats his hand in a way that she hopes he interprets as kind. “Anyway!” Claude quips. “So there’s someone here who has diabetes. If they could talk to Raph, I’m sure it’d get cleared up. Raph learns real well by having real talks. But we can’t force someone to do that.”

Dimitri nods seriously. “True. Outing someone is wrong.”

“Yeah,” Claude agrees. “If only we knew who it was, so we could at least tell them that Raph didn’t mean any harm…”

_ If only indeed. _ “I believe I may be able to help.” At twin bewildered expressions, Edelgard explains. “You said you believe the person is a student in the Black Eagles house, correct?” She concocts an easy lie about the house community. It’s not a bad lie. The Black Eagles are a tight-knit group, despite how things are on bad days. But she knows that if she didn’t know Raphael, she wouldn’t have felt comfortable being approached by her house leader to talk to him.

Luckily, she does.  _ Learning “real well” by having “real talks,” huh? _ Well, she will certainly try.

* * *

They do have a “real talk.” And they develop a real friendship afterwards. She even learns some real ways to help people who are choking. It comes in handy when Hubert takes too ambitious a bite of a gummy cat. They are forever grateful that it happened in the privacy of their own room. Edelgard is just grateful that Raphael was a good, patient teacher.

**Author's Note:**

> On a lighter note, Edelgard's favorite snack in this AU is based off of a British gummy cat candy I found in Dublin: Candy Kittens. I don't think they're sugar-free, but they are gluten-free and vegan, so if you have any dietary restrictions, I recommend looking into them! ^^


End file.
